• firadin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    28
    ·
    5 months ago

    Apparently TikTok sent out push notifications telling users to call their representatives. Minors were being provided instructions with their representatives’ phone numbers and contact info, but didn’t even know who they were calling and were asking basic questions like “What is Congress?”

    Kind of shows the amount of power TikTok has over American youth.

    • someguy3@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      5 months ago

      I love how they demonstrated they aren’t influencing people by sending out a mass message telling people what to do. It doesn’t get any more comical than that.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        ·
        5 months ago

        Malign influence. Telling people to participate in democracy isn’t a bad thing.

        • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          13
          ·
          5 months ago

          Yes but telling an army of thirteen year olds doing dance videos to call representatives is worthless, if anything it hurts TikToks argument since it proves they’re doing the influencing of Americans that the government wants them not doing

        • someguy3@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          You missed the entire point. They declared 1) We are not doing anything of that sort, then: 2) they did exactly things of that sort. It’s like a slap stick comedy show.

    • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      5 months ago

      And facebook tells its users to vote. Encouraging people to make their voices heard and engage in the democratic process is a good thing.

      • Stovetop@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        5 months ago

        I’d say absolutely, if Cambridge Analytica wasn’t a thing. I’d honestly rather have people not vote than be motivated to go vote because they think the liberal communists are putting fluoride in water to make frogs gay.

        It’s somehow always the organizations and individuals who are trying to manipulate people that seem to care the most about people’s voices being heard in politics. Churches, social media, daytime TV, that crazy uncle you don’t like to talk to at family gatherings…